Sometimes it’s hard to know when to make a change, and when it comes to packaging design, there is no set rule. However, like any aspects of a brand, packaging can become outdated or ineffective over time. But knowing when to refresh your design can make a huge impact on how your products perform in […]
Five Signs it’s Time to Update Your Packaging Design Read More »
In Canada, the new front-of-pack labels for foods high in sugar, salt, and saturated fats are the latest in a wave of packaging regulations attempting to help consumers make healthy food choices. In today’s blog, we’ll ask some of the SLD team to weigh in on how they’re working to address the new FOP regulations,
How to Deal with FOP Warning Labels and What to Expect Read More »
Grocery retailers fared better than most through the past five years: despite the pandemic, supply chain disruptions, global conflicts, and inflation, supermarkets are thriving. People need to eat, so it could be assumed supermarkets are invulnerable. However, two key factors suggest otherwise. Firstly, competition intensifies with international discount brands, with Lidl and Aldi entering North
How Supermarket Brands Can Make Grocery Shopping Fun Read More »
Widely popular brands can become yesterday’s news for a variety of reasons. Trends change, and new brands disrupt old ones. Established perceptions that once drove growth can become detrimental. Some companies throw in the towel and decide to start from the bottom up. But, creating a new brand from nothing is even more difficult than
How Legacy Brands Can Become Relevant Again Read More »
When customers are shopping for groceries, they make decisions quickly about what to buy. Most of the items they select will be regular, habitual choices. This makes it harder for brands to capture new shoppers. Front-of-pack design is the last opportunity brands have to make an impression. A visually arresting design catches the eye and
How Packaging Claims Can Gain Consumer Trust and Why Read More »
During 2023, a strategy that CPG brands have been using for a long time made headlines, and some customers were concerned about it. You guessed it: shrinkflation. After years of going relatively unnoticed, the practice of hidden price changes is in the spotlight. As grocery prices rose an average of 11% in 2023, customers, journalists,
The Future of Shrinkflation for CPG Brands Read More »
Lawmakers around the world are scrambling to regulate advanced artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. The European Union (EU) recently passed the Artificial Intelligence Act, while President Biden has signed several executive orders regarding advanced AI. Canada’s Bill C-27, not yet passed, attempts to regulate AI but has come under heavy criticism for being insufficient. As retail
How will AI be Regulated? What Brands Need to Know Read More »
In 2021 we launched a consumer study series to understand how misinformation impacted consumers. We discovered that despite an emerging skepticism, there was a high level of optimism as the pandemic appeared to be subsiding and life was finally “returning to normal.” Today, inflation, the war in Ukraine, climate-related extreme weather, and political division unfolding
Building Brand Trust in an Age of Deep Fakes, Bot Factories & Angry AI Read More »
In the world of brand strategy, there are norms in each category that are considered to be the wisdom of the day. These rules are in flux, responding to changing market dynamics and consumer expectations, but it is uncommon for brands to deviate from norms. Occasionally, however, someone decides to go against the flow. In
Breaking Category Norms: 6 Brands That Went Against The Flow Read More »
Self-checkouts should be working better than they do. Although consumers are warming up to them, theft related to a cashier-less experience is so extreme that some retailers are pulling them out. Others are amping up deterrence measures, but many of these practices are rubbing consumers the wrong way. Is there a better approach? In this
Theft versus Experience: A Behavioral Approach to Self-Checkouts Read More »
Direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands have disrupted retail with unique niche offerings, greater convenience, and great savings. By rethinking simple products like shaving cream and razors, giants like Dollar Shave Club shook things up. Their success has inspired a sea of entrants into almost every category, driving up the costs of customer acquisition online and making it
How to Enter Retail for DTC Brands Read More »
Consumer research tells us shoppers want sustainable CPG products and will even pay more for them. However, as many brands know from experience, consumers don’t always follow through on this intent. In this blog we take a behaviorally informed view to explore the reasons consumers may not actually purchase more sustainable choices, even though they
Behavioral Tools for Sustainable CPG Choices Read More »
